Buster the Bus
By Julie Matuszewski; photos courtesy of Jessica Petau
Buster delivers safety message “seat to seat and back to back”
Buster delivers safety message “seat to seat and back to back” to kindergarten students.
Buster the Bus traveled his way to the preschool and kindergarten students at Timber Trail Elementary. This in-school field trip, hosted by Douglas County School District (DCSD) Transportation Department, delivered students bus safety information in a fun and interactive way.
Riding the bus to school, while a big independence piece for many kindergarteners, can also be intimidating to board the bus, leaving mom and dad behind. The DCSD Buster the Bus program utilizes a robotic “Buster Bus” to help with the transition.
Robotic Buster the Bus interacts with students by spinning, popping wheelies and dancing with the kids.
During the program the kids interacted with Buster finding him both funny and cute. Additionally, Buster was able to enforce important bus rules like waiting five steps away from the bus as well as never stepping behind the bus.
According to the DCSD Transportation Department, schools that have exposed their students to the bus safety program, have the safest, most courteous and best behaved riders.
The program has been an extremely popular and effective tool for the safe transportation of DCSD students. It offers age-appropriate interactive programming from kindergarten through sixth grade, as well as a bus safety demonstration and evacuation practice.
